A Love that Comes in Triangles
by Your Fellow Conspirator
Summary: Beactrice Prior is what they call Divergent. A flawed specimen in a seemingly perfect world. Jeanine Matthews is a conductor, she waves and tugs the strings of society as the leader of the Erudite. And her mysterious assistant Four is a wounded angel captured within her web of lies set on avenging his past. In order to claim their prize, they must unlock the key to Tris's hear
1. Chapter 1: Being Divergent

**First Divergent fanfic! I have just started reading the books and I'm halfway through already, please don't take my mistakes too seriously, Divergent lovers! Wrote this as inspired by the first book. Please comment below and tell me if you like it or not, constructive criticism much appreciated. **

Chapter 1: Learning not to be Colour-blind

Living is defined as air travelling through your lungs and out your nose. If my mouth remains quiet about this fatal flaw in my system makeup then I'll have to live longer in this shadow. Being Divergent is like living in a shell and the tiniest of movements can fracture your being.

Today I will have a decision to make.

Abnegation, Dauntless or…Erudite.

If I choose wrong then my shell will be scarred with a new blemish.

A new crack running through my life.

'Erudite,' I roll the words along my tongue. I feel disgusted by the smooth syllables flowing effortlessly out like running water.

No, not Erudite. I can not imagine the discriminating words that I will receive from them or Abnegation if my blood mixes with that water.

Abnegation is my home, I tell myself. But I know I don't truly belong there. The amount of selflessness required is like a constricting cage closing in around me. Threatening to crack my delicate shell.

And Dauntless. Do I dare challenge my own bravery and stamina? Being Dauntless will mean being free. I imagine myself frozen in the air as the rushing of the train leaves me stranded on the ground. Will I spread these wings and learn to fly amongst the Dauntless?

OOOO

I struggle with my feelings as I ascend the steps. My heart pumping with the same rhythm as my feet. The sea of grey cloaks spill into the large circular hall as my eyes seek Caleb's, he nods knowingly and squeezes my shoulder reassuringly.

The gesture falls short of encouraging and instead becomes an empty wave of a hand.

The great hall has a sweeping chandelier dangling from the tip of the domed roof and beautiful, majestic stone pillars spurting from the sides of the hall. There is five sections where each factions sit proudly, away from one another, naturally.

But right now is not yet the time for such seriousness as the dappled cloaks shuffle warily towards each other. Blank stares and forced smiles are exchanged, conversations are started in the awkward air.

The murmurs and wisps of speech from the crowd punctuates the air unnaturally like mechanical robots, their social interaction gears rusted from long years of abandonment.

I hold on tightly to Caleb's hand as mum and dad begin a quiet conference with the gathered Abnegation leaders. I spot a middle-aged man with bloodless lips and a strained face at the edge of the group, Marcus. My stomach does a belly flop. Another was going to leave them today.

'Caleb!' Susan's voice reaches us and pulls Caleb away from my grasp. He disappears into the crowd with Susan by his side. I'm left feeling lonely all over again.

I grab a seat and sit down ignoring the glares and snickers of 'Stiff' in my direction. I feel someone slip into the seat beside me gracefully. I sit with my head down, counting the seconds before the ceremony starts.

'Excuse me.'

I look up, an elegant lady in light navy blue is looking at me in obvious distaste through her glass shard eyes. She is attractive in the way a predator looks its prey right in the eye before it attacks.

Jeanine Matthews.

'Hello,' I smile firmly at my father's rival trying not to look like a deer being observed through gun's barrel.

She brushes her ghostly blonde hair aside and murmurs, 'Well, sorry to disturb you but are you aware that you are sitting in the wrong faction?'

'Oh,' I look around and feel my cheeks heat up as I realise all the chairs including my own are donned pale blue.

She laughs quietly, 'Little mistakes may be forgiven in other factions but in Erudite, these are the mistakes that can lead to your ultimate downfall. '

I nod wordlessly.

She straightens, 'What is your name?'

'Beatrice, Beatrice Prior.'

'So you are the daughter of Andrew Prior, are you not?'

'Yes.'

A thin smile is traced on her lips, 'Am I not wrong not saying that today you will have a difficult decision to make?'

What was the point of nodding?

OOOO

_You live, you die. It's a cycle. And I'm riding on top of it. I know the moment I am most afraid of is when I fall off. _

'Today is the annual Choosing Ceremony where all factions meet once again beneath this one roof to decide upon which path their future generation will wander upon. The broad oceans of knowledge, the high skies of bravery, the fertile fields of selflessness, the ripe orchards of peace and wellbeing or the twin scales of justice,' Marcus's voice booms through the hall.

My palms are glistening with sweat and Jeanine's voice returns, whispering torturously into my ears.

'Come now, let us all begin. Today a new door shall open for each and every one of you, and many of those here today will finally find their true selves and unlock their full potentials within their new factions.'

We all stand to attention and file to the front of the stage in single formation. Not a foot out of step. The five bowls gleam with yellow light from the overhead chandelier, I watch as the choosing begins.

As the line reduces, soon there in the centre of those lights and eyes is Caleb. Beads of sweat crowd his brow as he slits his wrist and lets the blood run freely into water.

Gasps. Then jeers. I know they will never let father live that down, then again, aren't I just as bad?

When it is my turn, I shuffle forward like a new-born penguin my palms so slick with sweat that I'm afraid that the knife might slip from my grasp. I feel eyes digging needles into my skin.

I thrust my hands out without looking.

It has splattered into the Erudite and Dauntless bowls, my blood stains the water and boils on the coals.

Marcus stares, 'The blood has tainted both bowls. Only accuracy of time can determine the faction you now belong too. '

He looks pointedly at Jeanine. We all know she has the answer. My heart wants to fly. But I know these wings can be shot down by that hunter. Because Jeanine is never inaccurate, at anything, ever. And I know she'll watch me fall back to earth, those grey eyes never once leaving my lame wings.

She nods wordlessly before wandering down to our side, 'A problem?'

'Problem?' I mumble.

'Beatrice Prior, from today on, I welcome you as an official transfer to Erudite, 'she smiles a real smile now. I envision using it as a punching bag.

Then I smile back like I've got a choice.

It seems like the Erudite are a lot better equipped than Abnegation. As soon as the ceremony ends and the pledges recited, Erudite leaves without another word, Jeanine leading the pack.

Caleb and I trail at the back with the rest of the initiates, 3 Amity, 1 Dauntless, 4 Candor and Georgie, daughter of Marcus's sister.

Caleb and I are speechless as we exit the hall, letting our feet do all the talking. As we near the elevator we look to one another and sigh.

'Why?' we say it as one.

'You first,' I mutter.

'I always knew I didn't belong in Abnegation, it was almost painful ignoring my more humane feelings. I wanted to finally acknowledge myself for who I was and become something...somebody.'

'You could have chosen Candor.'

'_You _could have just as easily chosen Dauntless. '

I look challengingly at him, 'A slip of the wrist.'

We look away, it doesn't make a difference anyway, we have both betrayed our faction and our family.

I am packed alongside a few Erudite, they bump their elbows hard against mine and exchange chuckles as an inferno starts on my cheeks.

'Not so smart now are you, Stiff?'

I brush aside their taunts as best as I can and instead focus on Jeanine who seems to be dwelling in her own personal space. Cold, calculating and alone as always. One particularly hard push later and I'm slammed against her in the cramped lift.

She stares, grey eyes alight in the dull stir of the dangling bulb above. The temperature has suddenly drifted past minus one and everything is silent except for my breath that seems so loud against my ears.

Jeanine breaks it with a crispy smile, 'If you would be so kind to refrain to a distance. '

I feel my ears burning a light pink halo around my head. If only I had used the stairs.


	2. Chapter 2: I Teach Myself to Avoid Blue

**Sorry about the late entry, got tied up with some stuff. I still haven't got a Beta Reader yet so please excuse my mistakes. I uploaded this at night after a long day, I'm pretty tired by now, sorry. Some scenes here are partially (if u squint hard enough) inspired from Hunger Games. I love your ongoing support and interest in my fic. I am still brooding over what to do next with this story but hopefully will be back soon with another chapter. :D **

Chapter 2: I Teach Myself to Avoid Blue

_I'm learning to hide my feelings by keeping them in a box. I have the key to the lock and my heart remains in fractures inside this cold prison of desolation. I've been yearning for the break of day that comes with being Divergent. _

The Erudite compound is a large glass complex sprawling across the marshland its transparent cubicles glinting in the sun.

We troop through the entrance of the main building. My heart sinks, this isn't where I want to be. Erudite members flail around in their lab coats and glasses never stopping once to acknowledge their surroundings but somehow still avoid smacking into one another.

When I spilt my blood into that bowl, I didn't sign up for this. I am a bird trapped in the confines of this glass cage of knowledge.

The mirrors are an illusion, they show nothing by the surface of this harsh, unforgiving world. The fissures in the world are only mere pinpricks on this glittery cold surface that reveals none of its secrets.

'Welcome to the Erudite compound. It is here that you will begin your path to seeking the coattails of knowledge. Shortly you will have your first initiation test. The first of many to come. It will only determine your temporary place here as an initiative. '

'I will monitor most of your tests. At other times, my assistant, Four will overseer your results and guide you through the process,' Jeanine gestures at a figure behind us.

We all turn, wanting to have a glimpse of this new, profound specimen that has wormed his way into such a high seat of authority.

Once our eyes meet, I wish I didn't look at all.

Four is lithe and agile. He stands like an avenging angel, his white lab coat billowing behind him like the snow white wings he once possessed in that long-lost ethereal world of his. His eyes are the rich blue of the skies he once flew upon and they pierce mine like darts.

I rub my hands on my dress. They're sweaty again.

Jeanine dismisses us. A pair of guards appear, they lead us to our rooms to change.

'The test will commence at noon. Meet us in here on the 12 sharp,' she had announced, before turning away to engage in quiet conversation with Four.

OOOO

Caleb stares, 'Why does she need guards to escort us around? We're not intruders or prisoners.'

I almost smile at the irony of this.

All of the initiates sit in a circle on the floor dressed from head to toe in soft blue silk that clings comfortably to our bodies.

'We could as easily be,' chuckled the Dauntless boy. He pulls a knife from his pocket and flicks it expertly at the mirrored wall. It strikes the glass with a soft thud and digs into our reflections.

An Amity girl shrieks, 'Where did you get that?'

The girl next to her clamps a hand over her mouth quickly. They look quite similar, I note, possibly even twins with their auburn hair and soft peppery freckles.

The Dauntless boy smiles in their direction. Then he turns to us, 'The name's Dune, Stiffs.'

'Nice name _Dune, _I'm Tris and this here is Caleb,' I nod.

Caleb looks at me weirdly but says nothing, I thank him silently for it.

The next half an hour we get to know each other. The two Amity girls are called Jean and Piper, they're twins from birth. Jean was the one that screamed. The other Amity is a boy called Fractus with tied back blonde hair and disturbing green eyes. He laughs easily enough though.

The four Candor ignore us and sit in their corner muttering haughtily and Georgie sits alone staring into blank space with her head curled up in her lap.

_I want to comfort her. But I know there will always be that cowardly voice that speaks to me clearer then my own intentions._ _But one day, I want to be more than this. _

OOOO

Jeanine takes us to an empty domed room that looks over the entire Erudite canvas.

'The tests will be held here. Each of you in turn will be injected with this syringe, it will provide a dream-like landscape that gives you a certain amount of time to answer 60 questions of varying difficulty under pressure. Fail to complete all questions in time and you will be stripped of your chance of being one of us.'

'Once the results are processed, we draw up a list and you will be ranked by your IQ. Those whose IQ fails 130 will be also immediately withdrawn. '

A hologram appears in mid-air with our names emblazoned across the transparent board. Mine is last on the calling list.

Before I can protest, Four appears behind me, 'Being last isn't so bad, in fact you are quite lucky to able to wait for so long. Some of us don't have a choice.'

His breath ruffles my hair. I blush.

Fractus goes first. His smile is strained as Four injects the syringe. Jeanine sits back and examines the situation through the screens.

One by one they are injected with the needle and fall into that trance. Some panic and scream out answers while others show visible signs of mental exhaustion as the minutes wear by. I wonder what they are seeing that makes them so scared.

Jeanine looks fairly disappointed by the results. Her brow crinkles and Four looks at me in that unnerving way of his.

I watch as Caleb returns to reality, stumbling forward on his toes. I grip him tightly until Four takes him from me to the sick bay. Then it is just me and Jeanine.

The needle pinches at my flesh and for a fleeting moment I feel like crying out. Then it's gone. And then I'm somewhere else.

OOOO

The Illusion my Heart Suffered

I have already suffered through the 59 questions. But when I reach this last destination, I sagged. It was stupid of me to forget this horrible place. I know I will never forget this time. They have made sure of that.

The lake rushes in the quiet undergrowth and the sky bears down on the coarse bladed grass, the only way I can tell this is simulation is because of the absence of the birds singing their farewells in the breeze.

I clench my hands.

My mother stands upon the rock, gazing at me with a smile she had never allowed herself to embrace back at Abnegation. This is my fondest memory of her and my most painful one.

'Beactrice,' she gestures at me and I feel as though I am a child all over again.

'Come dance with me, my angel,' she turns and twirls herself in the air, her grey form fluttering like a rose petal dancing, muttering unspoken words only I could hear.

The look in her glittering eyes mouth freedom. Something in me breaks. I take her hand.

I just want to see her be happy again.

'Oh,' she half sings and hums, 'this angel from heaven has landed amongst my fluttering heart.'

Stop smiling, I tell myself. If I don't smile, then it will hurt less when it ends. I smile.

'Your wings, how they rise above the cinders of flames from my raging thoughts…and into the sky once more.'

Then the shadows rise from the woods. The Erudite spies advance towards us, their blue robes trailing the ground. They mutter the question in unison.

'What is the position of Saturn from the sun?' the question should seem out of place, and it does. In my lovely fantasy, it stings like a thorn stuck in my side.

'No!' I hiss.

I rush out blindly at them, 'You'll never get her, you'll never break her heart again with your terrible words! I burned the papers, so she didn't have to face the shame of father…of everyone. '

I battle against the onslaught of bodies, refusing to answer.

I drop to the ground, the images rolling around in my head like a broken tape beginning to wind up again. Then in a split second the scene changes, I am at home again. The home I so selfishly ignored in order to live this new selfless free life.

I slide to the ground. I am outside my mother's room. I start to remember. The day after the accident where I spied through this gap in the door to discover my mother's broken face staring back at me.

I don't have to hear her sobs to know. She'll weep silently, the Abnegation are not allowed to weep aloud. It will be an act of self-centred behaviour.

I can't stand this torture any longer, I rush into the room. It is a tiny brown box that occupies not only mother and I, but also father who stands in the shadows.

'Answer us,' they murmur.

'1,429,400,000 kilometres,' I whisper, shaking my head.

I will have to leave now. Before I can disappear I grab hold of mother, then the room burns black.

OOOO

'Interesting,' Jeanine mutters.

I lift my head groggily. She presses it down, 'You danced beautifully.'

'I will never dance again,' _thanks to you, _I wanted to say.

She says nothing but flicks a switch. I open my eyes.


End file.
